Over 100 drown­ings re­ported in Great Lakes

HOL­LAND, Mich. — A water safety non­profit group says 2018 has been a deadly year on the Great Lakes, with at least 110 drown­ings recorded. The Great Lakes Surf Res­cue Project, which has tracked drown­ing deaths since 2010, said this is the first year that it’s recorded more than 100 drown­ings. The Hol­land Sen­tinel re­ports the hot summer may have been a fac­tor in the in­crease. The deaths in­clude 39 in Lake Michi­gan and 35 in Lake Erie.

The deaths have prompted ef­forts to in­crease safety along Great Lakes beaches. Among those who died was 20-year-old Bran­don Sch­midt, who drowned in Lake Michi­gan in Au­gust off of western Michi­gan. WOOD-TV re­ported that his mother, Brandi Don­ley, said warn­ing signs, safety equip­ment, ed­u­ca­tion and train­ing are needed.